With the standard setting of 250 to 270 hp on a 8v71 and a 5 speed manual with 3:36 rear gears the ones I have been around he is not that far off driving at 60 mph friends we travel with they have a 9 with that setup he is always at 10+he never goes over 60 mph he has a throttle delay and is set at 2100 rpm no load

Something must be wrong if you folks are only getting 10-12 mpg, everyone I chat with at the fuel island running the 8V-71, 6V-71 or 8V-92 all seem to say they are getting closer to 14-16 mpg, so I would have a real close look at all the setting on my engine if I were getting the 10-12 mpg, something has to be wrong.

Well ,I was gonna stay out of this one,AS I HAVE NO DOG IN THIS HUNT, however this coach lives about three miles from me on a very posh estate i have seen it from the road, now that its for sale maybe i can talk to the owner and see what he bases his figures on ..... plus get to check out this mci!

How can anyone prove it? I know for a fact that the knut behind the wheel has a far greater effect than just about anything, because I have proven to have beat others behind the wheel in the same vehicle over thousands of miles. On one long trip in particular I was able to average 33+ MPG, while my brother was barely able to achieve 25 MPG. I also know for a fact I can beat a cruise control, because the CC doesn't have a brain. Its not able to see the grade coming and add power to pick up speed to build momentum. Its not able to see the downslope coming and let her roll so you gain even better economy as well as momentum for the next grade. CC is just an simple machine, programmed to maintain speed to X MPH within X MPH regardless of grades. Some would argue its doesnt make a hill of beans of difference. Yet most of those arguing are the ones who cant achieve higher mileages.

I will say right off, I dont have the knowledge of what any Bus is capable of as far as MPG to say what any one in particular can or could achieve. But in more than 40 years of paying attention, the numbers that keep getting reported for various models always seem to average about the same.

The question to honestly ask is, could a lead foot driver pull a Bus capable of 12+ MPG down to 5 or 6 MPG. One the same token, could a light foot pull a Bus that typically achieved 6-8 MPG up to 10 MPG? I would guess the answer on both accounts is yes.

Way back when I worked in the charter industry, I averaged 80K per year in GMCs, Prevosts, Eagles and MCIs. All coaches except the GMCs and one Prevost were HT754 automatics, some 8V71s, some 8V71Ts, some 6V92TACs and a couple 8V92TACs This was also during the nightmare 55-mph national speed limit, but we ran 60 - 65 anyway. We also had to climb 6% grades to go anywhere if the destination was more than 75 - 80 miles away. So lots of hill-climbing in the mix, not to mention idling in the summer w/ the AC on.

At the company I spent the vast majority of my time, we were required to fuel the bus when we got back into the yard after our run. So I've pumped many a gallon into a coach, and know all about foaming diesel spitting back onto my uniform! Mgt wanted the tanks full, so we all got real good a being patient getting the level up to the bottom of the filler neck.

That being said, the average results:

3-axle 40' averaged 5.5 - 6.5 mpg

2-axle 40' averaged 6.5 - 7.5 mpg

2-axle 35' averaged 7.5 - 9 mpg

These are real-world charter bus numbers, not RV conversions. Sometimes these runs would be fully loaded, including the baggage bins, on multiple-day charters climbing all over the Sierras, others could be full of fourth graders on a school field trip to the state capital - no hills involved at all. Each run was different.

So I chuckle when I see folk talking about getting 10 mpg in a 3-axle coach with a powertrain most commonly found among us busnuts. It just ain't gonna happen - BTDTHTS!!

Maybe BK can pop in here and share with us what his 417 Setras are averaging - that would be a good, modern, real-world comparison to my days behind the wheel.

All diesel engines are design to burn x number of pounds of fuel per hour and over their life span what you do with is strictly in the right foot,gearing,weight and terrain some people are better with fuel management than others me I was lousy at it but could squeeze decent fuel mileage from our bus.

The Fuel Squeezer 2 strokes with a FS 740 Allison was not that bad on fuel but it is what is some people just do better depending on their setup and driving habits

At one time Greyhounds corporate fuel numbers were available online. There is a reliable source. If purple buses got 1/10 of a gallon more MPG, all Greyhound buses would be painted purple! Of course with the EPA and such Greyhound could not use fairy dust

I suspect that MCI's that are full of hot air can get over 10! JIm 0311

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